New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday asserted that it will strongly oppose in Parliament a Constitution amendment Bill which seeks the removal of ministers in custody for 30 days over serious offences, and expressed confidence that the government would not have a two-thirds majority for its passage.
The opposition party’s assertion comes days after sources said a parliamentary panel examining Bills to remove the prime minister, chief ministers and other ministers arrested on criminal charges is likely to adopt its report on the proposed legislations on July 17 and submit it in the Lok Sabha in the Monsoon Session.
If the government wishes, the draft legislations could be approved by the Union Cabinet before being introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will begin on July 20.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that the proposed legislation is aimed at “political harassment” of adversaries.
Ramesh also expressed confidence that Home Minister Amit Shah will not be able to muster a two-thirds majority for getting the Constitution amendment Bill that involves delimitation for providing women’s reservation.
“They will try to bring the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which we are going to oppose. It is a dangerous Bill that was introduced in August of 2025 and was subsequently referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which most opposition parties boycotted,” Ramesh told PTI Videos.
The Bill states that if a minister is in jail for 30 consecutive days for a criminal offence punishable by more than five years, then on the 31st day, he or she will be dismissed, the Congress leader said.
“This is extraordinary. I mean, court proceedings are still going on. In India, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We all know how the probe agencies have been functioning in the (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi-Home Minister Amit Shah regime,” Ramesh said.
Referring to the Bill, he said this is nothing but “political vendetta” and “political vengeance”. “It is to ensure political harassment of your adversaries,” Ramesh added.
“They may try to reintroduce it in this session, during the Monsoon Session… We are going to oppose it, we are going to oppose the delimitation Bill which came during a Special Session on April 16 and the home minister was humiliated beyond measure on April 17 when he got only 298 MPs for the Constitutional amendment on delimitation, whereas he required 352 votes,” Ramesh said.
Since April 17, Shah has been trying to split various political parties, the Congress general secretary alleged.
“He split the TMC and the Shiv Sena (UBT). Yes, those splits are a challenge for us. It is a setback for the Shiv Sena (UBT), it is a setback for the TMC, and it is a setback for the opposition. But our unity and solidarity continues,” he said.
“I will say with confidence that Mr Amit Shah and Mr Narendra Modi will not get two-thirds majority if they try to push the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill on the dismissal of ministers, CMs and the delimitation Bill which they lost on April 17,” Ramesh asserted.
The home minister was resoundingly defeated, and his “bluff and the bluster” was completely exposed, he said.
